Characterization of flavoured sweet water balls prepared by basic spherification technique

Abstract

Spherification, an innovative technique of molecular gastronomy which is a recent development in the field of food science and technology, can be applied to create high quality foods having high sensory properties and degree of consumer acceptability and satisfaction. It is an ideal technique for obtaining semi-solid spheres with very thin membrane coating that is almost imperceptible in the mouth. The present study involved the preparation of flavoured sweet water balls with sodium alginate by basic spherification technique. The prepared balls were evaluated for their change in physical properties and drying behaviour in accordance to different concentration of sodium alginate solution (1, 2, 3, 4 and 5%, w/v) and gelling time (3, 6, 9 and 12 min). Significant increase in the diameter and gel membrane thickness of alginate balls was observed. Variation in sodium alginate concentration and gelling time also affected the rate of moisture loss during drying. The flavoured sweet water balls containing 25% sugar and 3% sodium alginate with 6 min gelling time were found to be more acceptable on the basis of sensory evaluation.